Preserving the Past
by Pepper9873
Summary: After a test flight gone wrong, Miral and Aiden Paris find themselves in the Delta Quadrant, 25 years in the past. Not only are they stranded, but their arrival threatens to disrupt a crucial moment in their parents' lives.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I know I said I wouldn't start posting until Thursday, but I got impatient. So, it's here today. As always, please review if you read. Honest opinions are accepted.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters mentioned in the story. They are the respectful property of Paramount; I just write stories about them.

* * *

Miral Paris pushed through the crowded halls of Starfleet Academy. It was unusually crowded today since the new students arrived, and most were busy finding where their next class was and the best way to get there. She soon spotted a splash of blonde hair mixed within a hoard of second-year girls.

"Hey, Aiden!" she called.

Her brother's familiar face soon popped up from the crowd. Looking at him was almost like looking at a replica of her father in his Academy years, with the exception of his cranial ridges and their mother's warm, brown eyes that only he had inherited.

"Excuse me, ladies. And thank you very much for your help." Aiden gently edged his way between two of the girls, and made his way to his sister. Miral had to cover her hand with her mouth to hide her laughter due to the noticeable disappointment in the girls' faces from her brother's departure.

"You're not even here one day and you already have girls going ga-ga over you." Her blue eyes lit up as she tried not to smile.

He shrugged. "What can I say. It's a gift."

"Sure it is."

"Oh, you're just jealous because you can't have me."

"You're my brother."

"That's just a minor detail."

"Why did mom and dad have you again?"

"Uh, how about because they wanted me?"

"Whatever. Did you figure out your classes yet?"

"Not really. I think I have Warp Theory with Admiral Mullens for my first period, but I have no idea where the lab is." He looked down at his PADD in attempt to find the information he needed.

"Give me that," Miral said as she ripped the PADD from his hand. "Yep, you got ole' 'Fulley Mulley'."

"'Fulley Mulley'?"

"Don't ask. Just go down the hall, take the first left, and it's the last door on the right."

"Down the hall, first left, last door on the right. Got it." Aiden took the PADD back from his sister.

"Aren't you glad you have a third-year sister to aid you with these conundrums?"

"Definitely gives me a leg-up. By the way, who do you have?"

"First period I have flight training with dad, then it's off to the Engineering lab for Advanced Warp Mechanics with mom."

Since both children were attending the Academy that year, Tom and B'Elanna decided it was the perfect opportunity to take up the teaching job offers they got to be closer to them.

Aiden grimaced. "Sounds like fun."

"Yeah. From what Commander Icheb told me about his experience learning from mom when they were on _Voyager_, she's supposed to be brutal. Apparently she doesn't believe in playing favorites or giving people a break."

"Oh, joy. Now I have something to look forward to."

"At least you still have two years."

"Good point."

The two walked slowly down the hall together until they came to a point where they had to separate.

"Well, I'll probably see you at lunch," Miral said.

"Save me a seat?"

"When have I not?"

Aiden shrugged.

Miral playfully slapped him on the arm. "Get going, you. We wouldn't want you to be late on your first day."

"That probably wouldn't be the best idea."

"No."

He slugged her, then walked off. He took a few steps then began walking backwards. "Good luck in hell!" he called as he went.

"Thanks," she replied sarcastically.

Aiden laughed. Still facing his sister, he didn't notice that he was in a collision course with the wall.

"Aiden, watch wh-!" She was interrupted by the loud thud caused by his back connecting with the wall.

He looked around startled for a second, then regained his composure. "I'm okay." He continued to walk to his class.

"Dork!" Miral screamed after him. She wasn't quite sure, but she thought she saw his middle finger fly up at her. She shook her head and went to the holo-deck.

-

"Does anyone have any questions before we start the simulation?" Tom Paris asked his class. He had never imagined that he would be in front of an actual classroom full of students, and now that he was, he wondered how his father had put up with it for so long. So far, his experience in teaching was less then fulfilling. He spent the past thirty minutes explaining how to properly operate a star-ship to a bunch of what seemed like uninterested, ungrateful kids -Miral being the only exception.

I hand flew up in the back.

"Yes?" He pointed to the hand.

A lanky-looking boy came out of his hiding place. "How do you fly the ship again?" This caused laughter to emit from what looked like the boy's friends.

Tom let out an exasperated sigh. _This is going to be a _long _day_.

-

Aiden searched the over-populated cafeteria for an empty chair. Spotting him, Miral flagged him over to sit with her at the table. Tray in hand, he reached the table and sat down.

"Well, hello," he said to the red-headed girl next to him. "I don't think we've met."

"Marcie, this is my brother, Aiden. Aiden, this is my roommate, Marcie."

"Hi," Marcie said, blushing. Her freckled cheeks turned red. She leaned over to whisper into Miral's ear. "You didn't tell me your brother was so cute."

Aiden smirked. He was pretty certain Marcie wasn't aware that even though she was whispering, he could hear her just fine.

"But I did tell you he was younger then me, right?"

"Yes," Marcie replied disappointedly.

The two siblings had always been protective of each other. Miral -being the oldest- had always made sure that Aiden stayed out of trouble to the best of her abilities. And since he was the brother, he made sure that she wasn't hurt -especially by a guy.

"How did your classes with mom and dad go?" he asked, changing the subject.

"Dad's was okay. I think he was having a harder time with it then we were. He probably had to explain the controls about five times. But mom is…"

"Horrible?" Marcie suggested.

"For lack of a better term. We were putting warp reactors back together, and she kept yelling at us to go faster. She made some lame ass excuse about it 'putting us in a stressful environment without risking our lives'."

"She made two of the students cry. But she doesn't know that."

"Hell, I don't think she would have cared even if she did know. She's one of those teachers that believes that if you can't handle the pressure of the course, then you have no business taking it."

"Sounds like mom." Aiden said as he took a bite out of a meatball.

"What sounds like mom?" B'Elanna asked as she approached the table.

Surprised, Aiden choked on the food.

"Oh, nothing," Miral replied as innocently as possible. She flashed her mom a we-weren't-just-talking-about-you-behind-your-back smile.

B'Elanna looked at her daughter skeptically. "Are you sure? Because that's the same smile your father gets when he's doing something he shouldn't be."

"Relax, mom. You know we love you and would _never _say anything mean about you," Aiden said.

"Sure. Have you seen your father by any chance?"

"He's probably around here somewhere."

"I better go find him. I'll see you two later."

"Bye, mom," Aiden and Miral replied in unison as their mother retreated.

They both looked around to make sure that none of their other relatives were going to make a surprise visit, and to see that B'Elanna was out of hearing range.

"Did you guys hear about the new shuttle Starfleet is building?" Marcie asked in a low-voice. She hunched over the table for added privacy.

Miral and Aiden shook their heads.

"Apparently they're ripping off some of the design from the _Delta Flyer_, but it's supposed to have about ten times the weapons capability, and faster impulse speed. They also added a stealth mode that is virtually undetectable by today's technology."

"Wow," Aiden breathed.

"Also, I overheard Admiral Paris saying that they were thinking of letting a third-year fly the first test run."

"Seriously?" Miral asked.

"That's what I heard."

"Now I'm jealous, Aiden said. "They never let first-years do anything, do they?"

"Considering they usually only allow fourth-years to do this type of stuff, we're lucky they're even considering us third-years. Do you know how they are deciding who gets the honor, Marcie?"

"Probably by test scores. You know, to make sure that the student can actually handle it."

"Isn't this kind of risky for them in the legal department? You know, since the student could -I don't know- _die_?" he questioned.

"I don't know. Most of the student body is legal; and Admiral Paris did say that the student is going to be for-warned of the risks involved and allowed to opt out if they want. I think he had said something about a release-form."

"When are they making their final decision?"

"End of this semester. Now, you guys can't tell anyone I told you this. It's supposed to be hush-hush, and I can _not_ afford to be reprimanded. My dad would kill me."

"Your secret's safe with us," Miral replied. She took a bite out of her sandwich. _If someone is going to take that test flight_, she thought, _it's going to be me._


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Please excuse my pathetic attempt at a formal letter; I'm bad at that. I may or may not be able to get chapter three uploaded at the correct time due to the fact that I had a groove going, but then my mom ruined it. Hopefully I can get it back in time to get the chapter uploaded next Sunday. Please review if you read.  


* * *

Four months later…

-

"What do you have there, Miral?" Tom asked his daughter as she walked into the living room. She was busily studying a PADD.

"A formal letter from grandpa," she replied, still looking down at the PADD.

"What does it say?" B'Elanna asked.

"'Cadet Paris. I am pleased to inform you that you have been chosen to pilot the official test flight of the _Valkyrie_, an experimental shuttle that shows the potential to revolutionize the way shuttles are designed.'"

"Oh grandpa and his big words," Aiden quipped.

"'The flight is scheduled for Stardate 75085.9589041097. If you wish to decline this offer, please be sure to notify me before this time. You and your co-pilot of choice will be de-briefed two hours before scheduled launch. From all of Starfleet, we wish you the best of luck.'

"Signed Admiral Paris.

"'P.S. I couldn't be prouder of you.'"

"And we couldn't be prouder of you either, sweetheart," Tom said as he embraced Miral. B'Elanna shortly joined in on the hug.

"Thanks, dad," she said into his shoulder.

Tom released Miral, but B'Elanna refused to completely let go of her daughter. She kept her hands on Miral's shoulders.

"What's wrong, mom?"

"I don't know if I should let you go," B'Elanna answered honestly. "Tests flights on new designs don't tend to go as planned. _Especially_ with this family."

"Come on, mom. I'm not a little girl anymore."

"I know you're not. I guess that just scares me a little."

"I can handle it, really."

"I know. And, I really doubt that even if I did say you couldn't go that that would stop you from going anyway. Promise me you'll be careful?"

"Of course, mom. I promise."

"Okay. Just one more thing?"

"What is it this time?"

"Always remember that no matter how old you get, you'll always be my baby." B'Elanna kissed Miral on the forehead.

Aiden sniffled, causing everyone to turn their attention on him.

"I think I'm going to cry," he said sarcastically.

"Oh, I think someone is jealous," Tom remarked.

"Who, me? Jealous? No way."

"Admit it, Aiden," Miral replied.

"Okay, maybe I'm a little jealous that you get to go on a super cool test flight. But you can keep all the sentimental stuff."

"You didn't really think that I would go on this flight without you, did you?"

"You mean you'll let me co-pilot?" Aiden's face lit-up.

"If mom and dad don't have a problem with it."

"Go ahead," B'Elanna sighed.

-

Tom pulled a t-shirt over his head and climbed into bed next to B'Elanna who was pretending to read a book.

"They'll be fine," Tom soothed. He bent over to kiss B'Elanna's forehead.

She placed the book down on her lap. "I know. But I can't stop worrying about them."

"And you know why?"

"Why?"

"Because you're a great mom." He kissed her again on the lips.

She gave a half-hearted smile. "It's weird, isn't it?"

"Care to elaborate?"

"Remember when you were their age and you always thought your parents were jerks because they wouldn't let you do something potentially dangerous?"

"Boy, do I ever."

"And once you become a parent, you never want to let your child do half of the stuff your parents let you, because you finally realize what they were feeling when they told you 'no'."

"I guess it just comes with the job. It just wasn't put into the description," Tom said.

They both fell into a comfortably silence.

"I never thought this would be so hard."

"What?"

"Letting them go. Each day they get a little further apart from us, until one day, they're off on their own. Starting their own lives, getting married… having grandchildren."

"I think we still have a long way to go before we start getting into the grandchildren part. We _better_ have a long way to go before we get into the grandchildren part."

"I wouldn't worry about it. They're good kids. "

"They really are aren't they?"

"Yeah. We didn't do too bad, did we, flyboy?"

Tom smirked. "No we didn't." His smirk faded as he studied her face more closely. "You're still thinking about the test flight, aren't you?"

"Well, do you blame me? After everything that happened to us on test flights, why shouldn't I?"

"You do have a point. They could end up turning into lizards."

"Or the shuttle could tear apart."

"Or worse."

"What's worse then those?" B'Elanna asked.

"They could turn into lizards when the shuttle starts to tear apart." He tried to keep his face in a serious position.

"You're an idiot," B'Elanna said with a smile on her face.

"Yes, but I'm _your_ idiot."

-

Miral laid in her bed and stared up at the ceiling. She couldn't sleep. Her mind kept going to the test flight, and every time it did she got more anxious. It was a good anxious though, like the anxious you get at on Christmas Eve night. She sat up startled when she heard a light tapping at her door.

"Miral, are you awake?" she heard Aiden call from the other side of the door.

"Yeah. Come on in."

Aiden entered the room and sat down at the foot of Miral's bed.

"What's up?" Miral asked. It was rare that Aiden entered her room in the middle of the night, and when he did, it usually meant something was on his mind and he needed to confide in her.

"I couldn't sleep. "

"Why not?"

"I keep forgetting how to start a shuttle."

"Seriously? That's the easiest thing to do?"

"I know. But when I get nervous I forget things, you know that. I keep having this dream that we're in a shuttle, and every time we're about to exit Earth's atmosphere, we blow up."

"Now I see why you're nervous. But you are aware it's just irrational fear that's been buried deep in your sub-conscious that's asserting itself in your dreams."

"Someone's been paying too much attention to their Psychology class."

"I have to if I want to keep my grades perfect. Now, back to your dilemma. It's going to be okay. You're a natural pilot. I think you'll be surprised at just how well you do once we go."

"Thanks. " Aiden got up to leave. "You know, you should be a motivational speaker, you're good at it."

"Flattery will get you nowhere."

They both laughed.

"I love you, sis," Aiden said before he walked out the door.

"Love ya too, little brother."


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: I'm so sorry I haven't posted in awhile. I was going to have this chapter be the last one, but since I was having trouble getting myself to write anything, I decided to make this chapter into two different ones, so at least you'll have something to tide you over with. This one might be shorter then the others, but at least it's something. As always, please review.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters mentioned in the story. They are the respectful property of Paramount; I just write stories about them.

* * *

One month later.

-

Miral and Aiden Paris sat at the helm of the _Valkyrie_. They were awaiting to be cleared for departure and were starting to grow impatient.

"Come on, grandpa. We've been sitting here for over an hour already," Aiden said through his teeth.

"Give him a break. He probably fell asleep and forgot all about us," Miral remarked.

"He is getting pretty old, isn't he?"

"You do know I can hear the both of you, right?" Admiral Owen Paris said over the open comlink.

Aiden and Miral looked at each other sheepishly.

"Not until now," Aiden replied.

"Sorry, grandpa," Miral said.

"That's alright. You two are clear for take off. Good luck. Paris out."

Aiden and Miral started pressing buttons and flipping switches.

"Activate thrusters," Miral commanded.

"Thrusters online," Aiden replied as he scrutinized his console.

"We have lift off. Deactivate the landing struts."

"Landing struts are deactivated."

Miral slowly guided the shuttle out of the landing bay, and into the sunny, San Francisco sky.

"We are at 3.048 kilometers and rising," Aiden reported.

"Great, just 13.0454 more to go."

"Well, at the rate we're ascending at, it shouldn't be too long."

"We do seem to be going pretty fast, aren't we?" Miral had a hint of concern on her face.

Aiden looked back down at his console. "Way too fast. We're already at 10.000 kilometers."

"Is that even possible?" Miral double checked her brother's readings and was surprised to find that they were now at 12.639 kilometers.

"Headquarters to the _Valkryie_. We are noticing a rapid increase in your assent speed. Slow down immediately," their grandfather's voice came over the comm.

"We're trying, but we aren't having any luck."

"Sh-" The comm suddenly went dead.

"That's it, shut off the engines!"

Aiden began tapping furiously at his console, but was having no luck at deactivating the engines. "Engines are unresponsive."

The interior suddenly became darker. They both looked up to find that they had cleared Earth's atmosphere, and were already in space. "This is not good," Miral said as she tried to help Aiden turn off the engines.

"And it's about to get worse. There's a spatial rift forming .200 kilometers off our starboard bow, and we are slowly being pulled in."

"Reverse thrusters."

"No affect."

The shuttle soon started to be submerged in the rift. The two siblings could only sit back and watch helplessly.

"Aiden?"

"Yeah?"

"If we die, I want you to know one thing."

"If it's the fact that you love me, I already know that. I love you so much, sis. But not in a creepy, incest type of way."

"That's not it, but thanks for telling me that."

"Then what is it?" Aiden asked. He turned to look at his sister.

"I wish I listened to mom. She was right."

With a low, scraping sound, the _Valkryie_ was enveloped in the spatial rift. Miral and Aiden prepared to be crushed to death. They were surprised when they began seeing stars in front of them.

"Where are we?" Aiden breathed.

"I don't know. The computer's not finding the star arrangement in any Alpha or Beta Quadrant star charts."

"Maybe you should just run a scan of all the star charts on record just to be safe."

"Good idea." Miral tapped in the command and in a few seconds, a star chart came up. "This can _not_ be right."

"Why do I not like the sound of that?"

"Probably because, according to this star chart, we're in the Delta Quadrant. Twenty-five years in the past."

"What? Let me see that." Aiden looked over Miral's console. "Stardate: 51711.328291476. Now, why does that sound familiar?"

"I think I know why."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Remember how we use to beg mom and dad to tell us how they got together?"

"Kind of. Why?"

"Because, they both said that stardate: 51711.328291476 was only a minute before their shuttle blew up."

"Oh."

"And if this scan is right, they should be coming into view in about thirty seconds

"This thing has a cloaking shield, right?" Aiden asked.

"Yep. Do I need to tell you what to do next, or are you just going to do it."

"Already done," he announced as the shuttle carrying the younger versions of Tom and B'Elanna came into view.

-

Admiral Paris paced back and forth in his office preparing for the worst. His grandchildren were MIA, and now he had the unfortunate task of telling their parents. One of which he was still unsure of how they would react to the news.

"Admiral Paris," his secretary's voice came over his comm. "Your son and daughter-in-law are here to see you."

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Send them in."

Tom and B'Elanna entered shortly, both with concerned faces.

"You wanted to see us?" Tom said.

"Yes. Please, sit down." Owen gestured to the chairs in front of his desk.

They both sat down.

"Well, as you probably know the _Valkyrie_ departed the shuttle bay at 1024 hours."

"And?"

"The take off was successful. However, something went wrong during the assent. We lost contact with the _Valkyrie_ at 1035 hours. We have sent five shuttles out to find any trace of the _Valkryie_, with no luck. It has officially been declared MIA."

Tom and B'Elanna's faces dropped.

"I'm so terrible sorry."

"So you don't even know what happened to them?" Tom asked, still trying to digest the information.

"Unfortunately, no. I wish there was something more that I could tell you."

B'Elanna stood up abruptly, and started pacing the floor. Tom went over to comfort her, but she shrugged him off.

"I know you both must be as upset as I-" Owen started to say.

"Just save it!" B'Elanna shouted. Unlike most mothers who cried their eyes out when they heard terrible news about their children, she had decided that she was going to turn it all into rage, and focus it in a single beam on the one, helpless, person who she felt was responsible for the whole thing: him. "What the hell did you get them into?"

"B'Elanna, I understand your angry, but-"

"You're damn right I'm angry! Why didn't you have the common sense to pick a fourth-year student? Or, better yet, why didn't you get one of your test-pilots to do it?" As much as she tried to control them, she could feel the tears starting to sting the back of her eyes. She sat back down in her chair and buried her face in her hands. She let out a soft sob, and Tom pulled her into his chest.

"I'll leave you two alone for a few minutes," Owen offered weakly as he stood up to leave, still unsure on how to correctly deal with his daughter-in-law. He opened the door and gave one final glance back, then exited.

"We shouldn't have let them go," B'Elanna said quietly.

"They're eighteen and twenty, I really doubt there would have been a way for us to really stop them."

"Why are you poking holes?"

"Sorry. I didn't mean to."

B'Elanna rested her head on Tom's shoulder, and he held her tighter to him. "I just hope they're okay," she whispered. "Wherever they are."


End file.
